Extremely Creamy Sriracha (Rotini) Macaroni and Cheese

What’s great about this Sriracha Rotini Macaroni and Cheese is that the milk is cut with chicken stock or broth, making it a little lighter and adding more flavor, but no less rich and creamy than your full milk roux macaroni and cheese. Oh, and the Sriracha, of course, not to mention that secret ingredient which you can scroll through to see right now (I would!). This Sriracha macaroni and cheese is not only loaded with extra-molten cheese, but a ton of flavor, and not just from the cheese like most macaroni and cheese preparations!

That being said..

Holy, Macaroni! Three posts in a little over week! Every three days, I’ve had a post up, but, it feels like an assembly line of mediocrity (the Ego Lights haven’t been throwing me a cookie or two as of late). That said, I like to let each post I put up marinate a little before putting up a new one, so that’s part of the reason why I don’t post a few times a week, but, in this case.. I had a lot of catching up to do.

It won’t remain this way because I need a break for a few days. It probably takes me like 8 hours to get a post up because without natural light, each photo needs a lot of post processing, not to mention, I shoot hundreds of photos to increase my chances of getting a few that make it past auditions. Then I need to go over them with whoever is in the mood to help me sift through identical photos with a fine-toothed comb, and find one that looks just a little better than the others, namely, my masculine counterpart.

“OK, which one out of these 40 photos, that are almost identical, looks the sharpest? Which one really showcases the food the best?”

“Lisa, they all look the same, seriously”

“NO, the piece of chive, all the way to the left, in back, in photo 43, isn’t as sharp as the piece of chive in photo 48! Can’t you see that??”

That, in itself, is a two-hour ordeal.

Then, writing the post, and I don’t think I have to elaborate on that too much because you can see how much I write. But, when I’m adding one of my BBFL memoirs, add another day, or week, plus an hour or two, to the 8 hours – unless I hit the deep zone. The deep zone is where I sort of astral-project myself back to those teen and young adult years, and I’m reliving it – actually back in time as I type it. As you would expect, I prefer to write about it in that zone. It’s a zone I cannot be broken out of until I’m finished. Hard to hit that zone very often with work and life in the way, hence the stories being weeks apart most of the time.

It’s funny, for someone who is still using free wordpress.com with the same theme I chose in 2008, and the same ugly header I’ve also used from the start, I’m sure picky about a lot of tiny details, huh?

I will be self-hosting and redesigning my blog at some point, but for now, I’m kind of comfy in my old, worn jammies.

Of course you can make it without the Sriracha (below, with white cheddar-no sriracha), OR you can use any other hot sauce you like, like BUFFALO HOT SAUCE, which I’ve tried and loved!

This is the macaroni and cheese without the sriracha, and I didn’t make enough of the cheese sauce because I ran out of the white cheddar I was using, hence why it looks kind of blah.

One thing I love about this macaroni and cheese is the addition of a little honey mustard which leads people to ask “What’s in this that makes it so delicious?”. I call this the ‘secret’ ingredient because it really makes it pop. An underlying, subtle bit of sharp sweetness that doesn’t affect the macaroni and cheese flavor you’re used to, but makes you ponder and relish it even more.

Not to mention, this is one creamy macaroni and cheese (I call it better than Boston Market, K, or Annie’s O macaroni and cheese), and so quick to make, I doubt any of you who try this version will look to the boxed macaroni and cheese as much as you usually do..the one we’ve all grown up eating at some point, although it stopped tasting like cheese a long time ago, at least for me.

I call the boxed versions yellow or orange macaroni snackies. No discernible flavor, but somehow, it still elicits major cravings.

Seriously, do any of you taste cheese in the K or Annie box of macaroni and cheese? I just taste a weird, artificial flavor that isn’t cheesy, but I like it, and sometimes, I desperately need to eat it…like I will die if I don’t eat it. Of course I like to doctor it up with Sriracha and a handful of whatever real cheese I have on hand, and I always have a box of Annie’s O or K on hand. It’s like a strange macaroni OCD. In fact, if I don’t have the purple or blue boxes in my cupboard, my cupboard seems naked. Now that I’ve come up with this recipe, I may be able to part with it – but then again, as mentioned, I don’t consider it macaroni and cheese, just a yellow or orange macaroni snack that I really, really need every so often!

I highly recommend that you try this macaroni and cheese, especially if you’re a fan of the purple or blue boxed yellow or orange macaroni snack or the Boston Market version. Add to it, if you like. Bacon is always phenomenal, as well as chicken, peas, ham, diced hot peppers, etc. Be daring and try a little minced ghost pepper in it! A little less heat, you say? How about a bit of habanero? A lot less? Serrano, chipotle, jalapeno? As you can tell, I like a good kick to my macaroni and cheese.

I added Sriracha Sauce to it because I love the stuff. With it, you get cheesy, spicy heat,plus that little thing from honey mustard that makes you go ‘Hmmmm’ and then ‘Mmmmm’. As I mentioned in the notes to this recipe, sometimes I like to divvy up the 4 cups of cheese with a combo of cheddar and jalapeno jack. Along with the Sriracha, it’s spicy heaven, not unlike this awesome bread.

Finally, I love hot and spicy food, which is kind of weird since I couldn’t handle hot and spicy anything until my late 20’s. Before that, I remember ordering nachos at Mexican restaurants, my key phrase being “No jalapenos, please”. They added them anyway, and I’d have to pick them out one by one because I didn’t want to send it back and risk getting something gross in my nachos (I’ve seen and read enough reports about this disgusting practice to make me extra paranoid). I think they enjoyed effin’ with me – or they were just hard of hearing twenty-somethings (???).

Extremely Creamy Sriracha Macaroni and Cheese

In this Sriracha macaroni and cheese, the milk is cut with chicken stock or broth which adds even more flavor!

ingredients:

½ lb small sturdy pasta (such as Macaroni, Rotini or the like) I used Rotelli, which is larger

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons flour

¾ cup milk - room temperature

½ cup heavy cream - room temperature

⅔ cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon honey mustard*

¼ cup Sriracha sauce (more or less, depending on how spicy you like it), or Buffalo Sauce!

a large pinch of kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 cups really good mild, medium, or sharp shredded cheddar cheese**

Chopped parsley or cilantro or chives

directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions - a little on the al dente side. While it’s boiling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter, and stir and cook until it’s well blended (this is your roux).

Cook the butter and flour, still stirring, about a minute or so to make sure the flour is thoroughly cooked and there’s no raw flour taste.

Combine the milk, cream and chicken broth in a liquid measuring cup and (either let come to room temperature, or heat for a few seconds in the microwave until lukewarm,) and slowly pour into the flour mixture, whisking constantly to combine it thoroughly. Continue whisking mixture until it is smooth and well blended. When bubbles start to appear, this is when the sauce will start to thicken. It will take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes for the sauce to thicken to the right consistency (Now switch to a spoon to stir the roux, and think Elmer's Glue, but a little looser. If you drag a finger across the back of the spoon dipped in the roux, and the line stays crisp and clear, it should be ready). Make sure you do not burn the roux via constant stirring/whisking over medium low heat.

Stir in the black pepper, kosher salt, Sriracha, and honey mustard. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is thoroughly melted and you have a creamy sauce. Taste and season the sauce more if it needs it.

Drain the pasta and put back into the pot you cooked it in. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir together until the pasta is thoroughly coated. Cover with the lid of the saucepan and allow it to sit for a few minutes to absorb the sauce. Serve in bowls topped with some chopped parsley, cilantro or chives, a little more black pepper and pass the Sriracha for those who want more.

notes:

* If you don't have honey mustard on hand, mix together two teaspoons mustard plus one teaspoon honey.** Try a combination of your favorite cheeses, if you like. If you want it really spicy, make it with 2 cups cheddar plus 2 cups jalapeno jack cheese!

I can so relate to the picking photos, although I am still working on my food photography skills. And love this recipe. More cheese, please…of course. I am not a fan f the box stuff, always scratch for me. Hope we get one another soon on src lol.

I’m glad you’re comfy in your old jammies, Lisa. 🙂 We like you just the way you are. Until today I’d forgotten how much I love mac and cheese. We’re having such a wild, cold and stormy day that this will be perfect for dinner. 🙂

BWAH! I feel you on the long process of writing a blog, but I’ve never been brave enough to admit how long it takes me to post a single blog because I feel the finished product isn’t as wonderful as it should be with as much time as I put into it. I fear the judgement that will reign down on me and my subpar photos-haha. 😉 Girrrrl, you got me hook, line, and sinker with this mac and cheese. I so gotta try this! I wasn’t big on spicy food until I met my husband who is the Spice Master, and now I’ve got the rooster sauce in my fridge fo sho. Can’t wait to try this! Mouth is watering! Love your photos by the way, your time shows in your work. <3

I’ve actually never had sriracha but this mac & cheese is screaming my name! My oh my you don’t seem to realize that no matter the quality of your photos (and I love the one pouring the liquid into the pot) your food always makes me drool and crave immediate satisfaction in the form of a bowl, plate or slice of whatever it is you have made. Fantastic! And I can’t wait to spend a week at your house and you cooking for me every day! Now we only need a bowl of the sweet potato rice pudding to make this a perfect meal!

Mac and cheese is one of my ultimate comfort food cravings. It really is. My mom is famous for hers and I love it when she announces she’s making it for dinner for us;) Sriaracha mac and cheese is a brilliant idea because I adore spicy! I know…the process to do a post is painstaking. Your sauce pouring onto the noodles has me itching for a very large bowl right now for early lunch. :)xx

I made this for lunch today for me, my daughter and a friend who came to visit! We LOVED IT! Of course, my daughters batch was minus sriracha, but like you said, good either way! SO CREAMY! Thank you to you and the blog you adapted it from!

Holy moly girlfriend! Three posts in a week! I can’t keep up! LOL This mac and cheese looks awesome, and since you recommended it so much, I will have to give it a try! 🙂 Also, we need another phone date!!!!

I have a light problem also in taking photos in my place…it’s so dark. I’m lucky when the weather permits me to photograph outside. As I keep saying, I don’t have “that camera” yet; but I still work on improving my photos with what I have. I also like to marinate (love this description!) my posts, and sometimes I feel I didn’t long enough.

I used to like hot and spicy, but I don’t tolerate it as well now (I shouldn’t say that because it makes me sound old!). I still like a little kick in some dishes, and I offset it with sour cream, avocado and/or cheese. Who can resist a really creamy mac and cheese…I need to try the sriracha sauce, and the use of honey mustard is different!

I wanted to let you know that you are one of my nominees (I had to select five) for the Food Stories Award For Excellence in Storytelling…you definitely deserve it! For more information, check out http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-stories-award/.

Hi Lisa! I tried to leave what was a lengthy comment earlier about yet another great post where I agreed w/several things you mentioned and how I’d like to try your recipe; however, it didn’t go through.

Also, I wanted to let you know that you are one of my nominees (I had to select five) for the Food Stories Award For Excellence in Storytelling…you definitely deserve it! For more information, check out http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-stories-award/.

Oh, I don’t blame you for using half the sriracha called for..I’m just a heat freak these days lol I’m so glad you loved it! I made it again last weekend and used 4 cups of shredded cheese…even better! Adding lobster to it is something I’ve always aspired to do with mac ‘n cheese recipes, but never did. With this recipe..I have to..especially after your recommendation! Thank you, Steve!

I made this using skim milk, reduced fat cheddar cheese and extra sriracha. It was delicious nevertheless. I’m not partial to spicy foods but every time I walked by the pot, I would grab a forkful. Or two.When I brought it to my boyfriend’s house, he didn’t bother to heat it up…and could barely stop himself from finishing the entire thing. A keeper or sure !!

If it’s ‘that’ good using skim milk and low-fat cheese – I have to try it that way! This is definitely the best stovetop, homemade mac n’ cheese I’ve ever made! I’m so glad you loved it…and loved it enough to love it with the sriracha! Now that’s saying something!

Hi!
this looks so good. I am going to make this as one of our holiday dinner offerings. I would like to make it a day a head and bake it Christmas day to warm it up. Have you or anyone who commented tried this and did it work well? Thanks!

Hi, Jamie 🙂 No, I have never done that, nor has anyone commented that they have. The only problem I could think of is that it won’t be as creamy the next day..more coagulated, so perhaps add more milk and cheese before heating? Let me know how it turns out! Happy holidays!